"Shoot an Iraqi: Art, Life and Resistance Under the Gun" Presentation and book signing with Wafaa BilalFriday, December 12, 7:00 pm Pomegranate Gallery
When Iraqi artist Wafaa Bilal staged his exhibition “Domestic Tension” in 2007 at Chicago’s FlatFile Galleries, the project drew international media attention and spawned provocative political debates around the globe.

Bilal lived alone in a prison cell-sized room in the line of fire of a remote-controlled paintball gun and a camera that connected him to internet viewers around the world. Now, in his memoir Shoot an Iraqi: Art, Life and Resistance Under the Gun, Bilal tells his story of growing up in Iraq, surviving refugee camps in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, losing his brother to the current war in Iraq, and ultimately, deciding to use art to address the realities of life in a conflict zone.

“Once I picked up this manuscript, I could not put it down. There is something so urgent and compelling about Bilal’s story, as though he is speaking to our time. His story is not just for those interested in the arts; it is a human story of the horror, frustration, and tragedies of war.” —Mary Flanagan, artist and author of re:skin

“Weaving together accounts of Iraq and America, art and violence, performance and reality, past and present, this gripping account all but shakes the reader by the lapels...” —Publishers Weekly starred review